Why are there fewer women in engineering?

This paper attempts to explain the paucity of women in engineering. While the percentage of women entering engineering and science careers has been increasing, the number at higher ranks has not increased as quickly, after considering the appropriate time lag. The differences in tenure rate due to gender alone were statistically insignificant. Instead, these were attributed to the fact that women who are married or have children are less successful than are men with matching characteristics. One solution proposed is to recognize that priorities might be different at differing stages of family life. It is also important to encourage more children of both genders to go into engineering by making it an appealing career.